Business Is Boring

The Australian venture capitalist with $60m for backing NZ companies


Listen Later

Business is Boring is a weekly podcast series presented by The Spinoff in association with Callaghan Innovation. Host Simon Pound speaks with innovators and commentators focused on the future of New Zealand. This week he’s joined by Blackbird’s Sam Wong.


Last year one of the biggest venture capital operators in Australia moved over and set up offices in New Zealand. The company, Blackbird, is famous for backing big companies like Canva, but has also been involved in supporting local successes from very early on. One of those is like Sunfed, the makers of plant protein meat alternatives, and it’s the Blackbird partner that led the Sunfed deal who has come over to set up the local office.


Sam Wong started her career at a prestigious law firm. She did well but didn’t quite love it so left, moved home, worked minimum wage jobs to pay her way and got into start-up life. She ran product for a high-growth ecommerce company, founded a company that went through the VC cycle, and got into working at Blackbird.


Blackbird VC has invested in a bunch of local companies like AskNicely, FreightFish, AO Air, Partly, Multitudes and Mint Innovation. And it’s recently announced it’s raised a lot more money, partnered with the Government to invest, and run big events for the local start-up ecosystem. 


To talk moving from law to the start-up world to VC, what it takes to be a great company – and a great venture capitalist – and how Blackbird works to back local companies, Sam Wong joined Business is Boring for a chat.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Business Is BoringBy The Spinoff

  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5

5

6 ratings


More shows like Business Is Boring

View all
Saturday Morning by RNZ

Saturday Morning

50 Listeners

Mediawatch by RNZ

Mediawatch

14 Listeners

On The Rag by The Spinoff

On The Rag

14 Listeners

Gone By Lunchtime by The Spinoff

Gone By Lunchtime

24 Listeners

Waterdeep Mountain High by The Spinoff

Waterdeep Mountain High

27 Listeners

Dietary Requirements by The Spinoff

Dietary Requirements

1 Listeners

The Good Citizen by The Spinoff

The Good Citizen

0 Listeners

The Front Page by NZ Herald

The Front Page

19 Listeners

The Detail by RNZ

The Detail

58 Listeners

The Offspin by The Spinoff

The Offspin

1 Listeners

Actually Interesting by The Spinoff

Actually Interesting

0 Listeners

The Property Academy Podcast by Opes Partners

The Property Academy Podcast

36 Listeners

Between Two Beers Podcast by Steven Holloway & Seamus Marten

Between Two Beers Podcast

85 Listeners

The Fold by The Spinoff

The Fold

5 Listeners

Shared Lunch by Sharesies

Shared Lunch

10 Listeners

Kiwi Yarns by Stuff | Brodie Kane Media

Kiwi Yarns

15 Listeners

Rugby Unwrapped with Scotty Stevenson by The Spinoff

Rugby Unwrapped with Scotty Stevenson

0 Listeners

Coming Home by The Spinoff

Coming Home

5 Listeners

Remember When… by The Spinoff

Remember When…

4 Listeners

When the Facts Change by The Spinoff

When the Facts Change

16 Listeners

The Spinoff Specials by The Spinoff

The Spinoff Specials

0 Listeners

FIRST by The Spinoff

FIRST

0 Listeners

The Curve by The Curve Platform

The Curve

15 Listeners

Keep The Change by nextAdvisory

Keep The Change

13 Listeners

Breast Assured by The Spinoff

Breast Assured

0 Listeners

The Dom Harvey Podcast by Dom Harvey

The Dom Harvey Podcast

61 Listeners

On Site by The Spinoff

On Site

0 Listeners

Grey Areas with Petra Bagust by rova | Love It Media

Grey Areas with Petra Bagust

7 Listeners

This is Kiwi by The Spinoff

This is Kiwi

0 Listeners

30 with Guyon Espiner by RNZ

30 with Guyon Espiner

4 Listeners

Behind the Story by The Spinoff

Behind the Story

1 Listeners

Ko Papa Ko Rangi: Ahi Kaa by The Spinoff

Ko Papa Ko Rangi: Ahi Kaa

0 Listeners